Herald Of The Past: Herald, #1

By George T.K.

He breaks free after millennia spent in the magical prison he was thrown into, and one of the few things he remembers is his name. Arin Lokkar.
Betrayal is his first thought in trying to explain his predicament, but each new memory heralds a truth that can either elevate or destroy him forever.
Yet, Arin's main priority is survival since everything around him seems to be trying to end his fragile plans prematurely. A so-called "system" bombards him with information, further confusing his befuddled brain, struggling to make sense of the few memories left.
His path in this newfound freedom will confront him with conspiracies, battles, and new allies in a world he must decide whether it is worth fighting for.
On top of it all, madness creeps in slowly but surely...

• Language: English
• Publisher: George T.K.
• Release date: May 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223471783

Book preview

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Herald Of The Past

A LitRPG Epic Fantasy

George T.K.

Copyright © 2023 George T.K.

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Prologue

Darkness, an endless all-consuming womb that swallowed up every attempt at movement, thought, desire. A hand rose up a distant, somehow alien motion with an effort comparable to the giant leap of a frog in a small hole. Did it? No. Disappointment. Irritation. Anger.

He had them all, even on the edge of madness, swallowing the little remaining ego, scared, terrified. Seeking and not finding. Ever. Forever.

Panic, feverish and familiar, rose like a giant to be fought through the fog of confusion and chaos of thoughts and desires sunk into the oblivion of their own misery. Again. And again. Until the end of eternity.

His condescending voice taunted, rising above the other sounds, more insolent and boastful than they, like an elemental of truth washed over the drowning man in his sea of ​​lies and doubt.

Why don't you sit down to get some rest? He froze in surprise and began to turn his head to look for the source of the question. Or at least he thought he had turned his head. Only complete blackness surrounded him. At this point, he wouldn't even know if he had gone blind, but the voice was something different for the first time in a long time. Fragile hope began to sprout in his soul.

Well, technically, you can't be lying down either. The voice chuckled. Betrayed, hunted, and lost, and on top of that, with no recollection of who you are, your existence becomes the epitome of failure, Arin Lokkar. You are pathetic beyond imagination. The voice screamed in his head. So, Arin Lokkar was his name... for some reason, everything else had a bitter taste of regret and pain.

He tried to remember, but only a few flashes passed in his mind... Two hot suns, incomprehensible battles, cruelty, betrayal, tears, and pain. Chaotic thoughts flew through his brain, but the cloud of confusion kept it in an iron grip.

You are the one who betrayed me! Arin said, with less firmness than he wished in his voice. Or did he just think about it? He didn't know.

Seems there is still a little bit left of the great Arin Lokkar after all. The voice laughed. No matter, soon we will stop what you started, and you can remain here with what's left of your loyal pests. Your existence is too peculiar, and we can't risk killing you. Shura made the seals with power from the very creatures inhabiting the land. It will not kill them but will weaken them as time passes. Isn't it poetic? You will be imprisoned by the power of the very beings you created. The voice broke into maddening laughter.

Fury was building up in Arin with every word, YOU! Who are you? Why are you doing this?

He got a new flash of memory. This time he was laughing with a man in black armor with red gloves. A sense of friendship radiated from the memories. They stood on a hill overlooking a castle with four black towers piercing the sky. The man's face was darkened as if something was blocking his memories. His anger grew even more, and he tried to grasp... what? He was confused again.

You don't remember what you did to me? To my family?! TO EVERYONE?! Of course, you don't... but let's not spoil all the fun! You have eons to entertain these thoughts! To rot for your crimes! For a moment, the voice vanished, only to reappear again. Or was it not a moment but a year? Maybe even a decade? Arin couldn't tell in the motionless darkness. Instinctively, he tried to grasp the... what? Something he knew was there but didn't know what it was. Something as easy and natural as breathing was eluding him…

As much as I enjoy our little conversations, the time has come, but I can't just leave you without a goodbye present, my old friend. Unimaginable pain rushed through him, and his silent screams echoed in his mind. Now, now you'd better get used to it. You will experience my modified version of the Soul Burn for all eternity. It has just the right touch. Laughter and then silence… and pain... excruciating pain...

Eternity had passed... or maybe more? ... Or just a day? He had no way to tell. There was only pain and nothing else.

It was his enemy, after a while, his companion, and finally, his friend.

It affirmed his existence and reminded him of who he was.

It burned him and reassembled him again and again.

He soon began measuring time with waves of pain. First, there were hundreds, then thousands, and finally millions of times in which he was broken. It was like an old true love that would exist forever and ever.

There was no hunger or thirst, only his thoughts and the pain that filled them. It was his bitter water and poisonous food, which he eagerly devoured every moment of his existence.

Constantly, he tried to grab hold of... something? He wished for the sweet release of death that never came again and again. And along with the pain, anger filled his mind like an ocean that threatened to swallow him, but he embraced it.

Rage against the man he didn't know.

Rage against his prison.

Rage against the very world that could let that happen, and mostly, rage against himself. The pathetic state he was powerless to do anything about.

The ocean of rage washed away the pain. For a fleeting moment, he felt like the very foundations of darkness shook, sending waves to somewhere else. Like a drowning man, he grasped the emotion and pushed and pushed until he got hold of something else. Something that he didn't remember but wanted so much. Power flooded through the rage, turning into uncontrolled primal threads. Instinctively, he took hold of the energy, embracing it with his soul, and then threw it against the essence of his prison. The world shook, and a wave of cracks appeared on the horizon. Seeing the results of his efforts, Arin let more and more energy flow, and when there was none left, he lent his soul and life as a power source. As he was about to reach his limits, an enormous explosion ended his last efforts, and everything went white. And after that, black again. His final thought was that he had finally found the death he was looking for.

Chapter 1

Arin opened his eyes as he lay on the green grass, where a gentle wind ruffled his hair under the clear blue sky. Two suns shone and caressed the astonishing landscape with their rays. In the distance, a vast city lay in the shadow of a great mountain, with buildings challenging the sky and greeting the suns with white and gold glints on their surfaces. Its beauty made him stare for a minute, but soon his attention was drawn to a figure on a nearby hill, looking at the vast sky. Everything about her seemed familiar to him, yet the memory danced on the edge of oblivion.

Well, there's not much choice here, he said as he walked over to the woman standing on the hill. As Arin approached, her soft, sad voice reached his ears.

Arin Lokkar First Emperor of the Enlightened, Ruler of the Twelve Worlds, Protector of the Lesser, Judge of the Forsaken, and Shield against Chaos. I wonder how much of the real you remain untouched inside. If this part of my consciousness has activated, you have somehow made it outside the Kharag Pentagram. I wouldn't be able to do even this much if he hadn't been distracted the last few years. The woman sighed and turned around to face him. Her piercing blue eyes stopped him in his tracks.

The level of power that she radiated just standing there was baffling. At that moment, Arin knew if she wanted him dead, he would instantly be a corpse.

Long silver hair protruded through the hood of her long black cloak that covered most of her slender body. Small pentagrams were painted on the tips of her blue nails. Her grace seemed somehow alien and incomprehensible.

Indeed. I see a shadow of your true self standing before me, yet I have no choice but to bet everything on you. I believe your old friend is leading us to destruction. Something is not right, and we are walking on a path that I can no longer see, even though that should not be possible. My intentions were to return in time and add more to that simple form to help you out. As that has not happened, I have to assume the worst.

Seems you know me, but I don't know you. Who are you? WHO AM I?! Arin desperately shouted as he tried to assimilate the information. If this was just a part of her, he couldn't even imagine the real power of this woman. Every cell in his brain screamed that he knew her, but he still couldn't recall, even her name.

I'm a small piece of my true self that simply can't give you that information. Know that we believe in what we are about to do and the justice that would bring. With you being here, that would mean we have failed. Arin, I hope you will find the truth and our reasons in time, so you can judge us for yourself, but now we have to hurry. This part of myself will dissolve and heal most of your brain and muscle damage, but when you wake up, you should make haste to leave the place you find yourself in. The power of the pentagram has utilized everything with mana, from plants to animals, changing them within an unknown radius. This would have most likely resulted in some kind of miasmic poison zone that will be harmful to you, even with your constitution. Our time is almost up, and I must leave you with the hope you can at least understand if not forgive us.

She raised her hand, and a light shone from her palm.

Wait! There is so much I want to ask you! From where should I start? What should I do?! How do I find you?! Arin shouted as she and the world around him started to disappear.

When the time comes, look for the triangle portal at the edge of the empire. You are Arin Lokkar, and you came from nothing and became one of the most powerful known beings. If you have to, do it again! Save us from ourselves, once again, my love, as you did in the past.

Tears fell from her blue eyes as Arin embraced the darkness once again.

System message: New being detected! Origins unknown! Background unknown! Critical gene information deleted or altered!

Awarding stats and skills based on experiences and muscle memory!

Attention! Curse detected – Soul Burn.

Attention! Curse detected – Mana Channel Disintegration.

Attention! Curse detected – Brain Disintegration.

Unknown skill use detected – Curses cured!

Unknown skill use detected – Life Points and Mana Points restored!

Unknown skill use detected – Attempting to restore dead cells and brain tissue – partial success effects can'tbe calculated due to lack of previous information.

Mythic race detected: High Human.

A race engulfed in myths and legends is considered fiction. High Humans have the appearance of normal humans but are capable of physical and magic feats beyond imagination.

10 attribute points per level

Skill unlocked: Mental fortress (Passive) (Epic) Level 1

Skill unlocked: Endurance (Passive) (Uncommon) Level 1

Skill unlocked: Mana manipulation (Passive) (Rare) Level 1

Skill unlocked: Dark Vision (Passive) (Rare) Level 1

Skill unlocked: Primal mana manipulation (Passive) (Rare) Level 1

Skill unlocked: Force Shield (Active) (Uncommon) Level 1

Skill unlocked: Barrier blast (Active) (Rare) Level 1

When he woke up again, he was bombarded with texts straight into his field of vision. Arin stared, stunned for a few seconds by the bizarre situation.

Words written before his eyes? Was he hallucinating? Had he gone mad from the time he spent in that dark prison? He almost didn't notice that he was surrounded by darkness as before.

Again??? Can't I catch a break? Hearing his own voice calmed him down. Arin realized that he was in a dark place, but not in That dark place.

Reaching out, he touched a hard surface above him. The moment his focus changed, the messages moved to his peripheral vision, waiting for his attention as little dots. Arin left them for now and started checking the state he was in.

He tried to move his legs and arms, and they responded excellently in the small space. His hand was about to push the surface above him when a new message appeared.

Attention! Skills Mana manipulation and Primal mana manipulation are incompatible with each other! Trying to merge skills! Possibility: 5%. Failure will result in disintegration!

What in the nine hells?!

Before he could fully comprehend his situation, liquid fire ran through his body. Nerves and blood vessels were being destroyed and remodeled every few seconds. His organs started shifting as terrible screams filled his ears, only for him to realize they were coming from his mouth. And during all this, he stayed conscious, wondering why he hadn't passed out.

In his mind, he continued to curse the world itself and the damn five percent. As fast as the assault on his body had begun, it stopped. Arin was bombarded with walls of text. Was this normal? His definition of normal was severely lacking in every regard.

Setting his priorities, Arin ignored the messages moving them to his peripheral vision like he had learned to do earlier. He was obviously not sent into the afterlife, so he focused on his current situation.

Arin still lay in the closed dark space, so he reached up to touch the surface and pushed. It was made of stone-like material and moved slowly to the side. After a few minutes of groaning and an incredible effort that had already involved all his limbs, he was free.

A faint light greeted Arin as he emerged from his former prison, which he found out looked like a casket. It was made of white stone slabs, polished with inhuman precision.

They buried me alive. The realization shook him, and he froze for a few minutes staring at the coffin.

How could this happen? Who would do such a thing to him? Countless new questions began to emerge in his mind.

What had the woman said? Because he was the Emperor? Was that the reason? Power?

Feeling his anger intensify, he forcefully calmed down. There was nothing he could do about the problem right now, but he could find the strength to get out of this damn place.

Arin stretched his muscles, and they reacted surprisingly well. The coffin was located in the center of a spacious, dimly lit hall. There were no windows, and it was obvious that the room was underground in some structure. Lanterns emanating purple light were placed on the walls at equal intervals of a few meters. Some of them were dimed, and some lay broken on the ground with claw marks around them. A staircase was barely visible at the far end of the room.

Arin was about to head for the stairs when his eyes focused on the stones on the floor.

Thousands of fractals and pentagrams formed an immense diagram that covered the floor completely, from end to end. They interacted and intertwined with each other to complete the monumental work. Arin was amazed by the magnitude of it and the precision it took to be made.

That must be the Kharag Pentagram the woman talked about. He wondered how much time creating this took. Cracks in the walls showed the effects of time, but not enough to determine how long he might have been in that place. He wanted to study the pentagram, but the priority was to find the exit and get out of here.

Nearly a hundred feet separated him from the only exit, and almost the entire distance was obscured by shadows because the light of the strange lanterns did not reach the center. Arin had no idea how the lights in the room worked, but he felt that was not always the case in the past.

He started walking towards the staircase while watching the shadows for movement. The whole place was giving him a bad feeling.

Just as he was halfway there, he heard a scratching sound to the left. He hurried up, but the same sound could now be heard just behind and above him.

Arin started running as the sounds intensified all around him. He reached the staircase with a few jumps and turned around just in time to see the mouth of a giant centipede-like monster flying towards his head.

He instinctively tried to punch it, only to feel countless teeth sinking into his fist. They immediately pierced his skin and reached deep, splattering blood on the floor. With a cry of pain, Arin slammed his fist into the wall, and pieces of the strange creature's anatomy flew in all directions, covering him as well.

The pain in his arm subsided, but many of the monster teeth were still deep inside. He had to get them out as soon as possible, but given the sound of countless feet scraping the floor, his priority was to rush out and find a weapon.

Like an answer to his thoughts, two more creatures came out into the light, heading for him. Hungry little teeth clicked, again and again, complementing the ominous sounds in the room. Hundreds of exceedingly acute legs moved with astonishing speed, allowing them to walk on the walls and the ceiling. Twenty inches long, the centipede-like monsters could jump surprisingly far, covering more than ten feet of the ground.

Arin started dashing up the stairs, abandoning any caution. Taking two steps at a time, he arrived after a minute in another room. The lack of any windows indicated he was still somewhere underground. Most of the lanterns were damaged or destroyed.

Even with the poor lighting, in a few seconds, his eyes started to recognize and detect the most basic disposition of the room and objects in it.

Confused for a second, he remembered the Dark Vision skill notification. He needed to check these out, but time pressed him again for action.

The room was smaller than the room below, and the floor was covered in three fingers of dust. Piles of rubble spread along the walls could have been furniture of some sort before time took its toll on the wood. Bones were scattered all over the place, giving it a sinister feeling. Columns twenty feet in size obscured part of his vision. Yet he saw a staircase leading up, on the opposite end of the room. At the same time, Arin noticed a few weapons across the floor, the nearest being a rusty sword with an edge sunk into a pile of bones.

His footsteps lifted clouds of dust and made it harder to breathe. The sounds that chased him had died down, but his inner voice was screaming for him to hurry.

Arin felt movement behind him and jumped forward just in time to avoid something that passed where his head had been a second ago. He groaned in pain as he landed on his still-bleeding hand. Arin ignored it as best as he managed and immediately ran towards the rusty sword.

It took him only three seconds, and as he pulled it out, he heard that sound again and jumped back, turning and slashing upwards. In the middle of the swing, his sword met resistance, and more blood and guts poured over him as his sword sank deep into the giant centipede's belly. The monstrous insect writhed and moved its legs in a last-ditch attempt to reach him but froze in the grip of death just a second later.

Arin tasted the long-rotten entrails in his mouth and vomited on the floor, falling to his knees. It was as if the thing had died long ago, but it was too stubborn to accept its demise.

As he tried to catch his breath and clean the dead creature from his face, he heard more sounds from downstairs. What were these things, and were they truly alive?

Bring it on, you stupid bugs! Arin's anger was growing. Finally, he had escaped his prison only to encounter such disgusting creatures. Such foul insects would not stop him!

He groaned and tried to stand and move to the staircase so he could face the rest of the centipedes without worrying about attacks on his back, but he couldn't.

Two skeletal hands were holding his legs, and a body was slowly forming with the remaining bones. In a skull near his left leg, two eyes of blue fire stared at him with growing